Together
by Totally Raven
Summary: "My point is, something's changed between us," Beast Boy said and then he grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her, and all thought and feeling disappeared. ... Beast Boy has confessed his feelings for Raven, now it's up to her. But does she feel the same way and is she brave enough to accept her emotions? BB Rae. Lemons to come.
1. Part 1

A/N: It has been a long time since I wrote a TT fic, probably no one who follows me even knows I write them. So here's one 'cause I felt the need to change fandoms. It's my first serious BB/Ray because I've only recently started to ship them. But I'm catching on quick! There will be at least one more chapter, maybe two, depends how it goes, and future lemons are a promise.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, pity really.

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Raven was startled at the knock on her door. She opened one eye, reached her mind out slightly … it was Beast Boy. And he wanted something, something serious.

Raven uncrossed her legs, lowering herself slowly to the ground, shaking her mind out of her meditation and steeling it firmly back in reality. She took a moment to collect herself, then on soft feet padded quietly to the door and slid it open.

Beast Boy did indeed look serious. He had his most serious expression on, the one that instantly made Raven realise that she respected him. He was looking her directly in the eye already, arms loose by his sides, back straight, chin up, no trace of mischief in his usually laughing eyes. This was the Beast Boy that was strong and fierce, a leader in his own right. Raven could see the strength in him, the determination.

"Raven, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I gathered as much," she replied flatly, not giving him ground. Serious Beast Boy might start yelling at her for her apparent rudeness, though Raven thought it unlikely. He hadn't raised his voice to her in years, no matter how much his temper got the better of him. Looking at him now, she suddenly wished she could say the same. Her heart ached a little when she remembered how hard she had been on him, from time to time.

Beast Boy ran his tongue over his lips; his fang glistened. "Can I come in?" he asked quietly.

Raven felt her eyebrows slide up. He had never asked this before. Stunned, though careful not to show it, she stepped aside and lifted an acquiescent hand. Beast Boy walked past her and into the room.

Raven slid the door shut behind him, checking first to see if any of their teammates were in the corridor, watching. If Raven didn't know Beast Boy as well as she did, she would have thought it was some sort of a prank he was playing at.

He was standing in the middle of her room, squinting slightly in the darkness. "Have a seat," Raven said and perched herself on the end of her bed, gesturing for Beast Boy to do the same. Gingerly, he sat.

He looked at his feet. He tapped his fingertips together. Raven expected him to give a wheezing, high pitched laugh like he often did when he was under pressure, or even crack a lame joke. But he did neither. Raven sat still, silent, waiting.

Beast Boy looked up after only a few moments. He sucked in a deep breath and looked at her squarely. Raven felt something stir in the pit of her belly, something she couldn't quite recognise; her mind was too clouded from meditation yet.

"Something's changed between us," Beast Boy finally said. Raven merely arched an eyebrow. Beast Boy drew another deep breath. "Since Tokyo… and even before then, I think. Things aren't the way they used to be."

Raven felt that he wanted her to say something, that he wanted a reply. "What?" she asked blankly.

Beast Boy's brow collapsed in a furrow of confusion and concentration. Clearly, there was something he meant to say, whatever it cost him.

"I don't know what you're thinking," Beast Boy said, and his tone was more serious now than Raven had ever heard it before. She suddenly felt on guard, and sat up straighter despite herself. "But I've noticed the difference. Before … I don't know when it started, but it's been getting clearer to me every day. Before the Brotherhood of Evil, before your father, maybe even before Brother Blood…"

Raven wondered idly why the biggest villains they'd ever faced were important to the story.

"… before all of that, you and I were friends, I think. Not close, but friends. We didn't understand each other and we got under each other's skin. Right?"

Raven nodded. She couldn't argue with him for it was true, no matter how much it grieved her now to think of, no matter how unflattering it looked on her friendship CV.

"I don't know when exactly, but things got … easier. Between us. You know?" He didn't pause. "And I think it's fair to say we became closer, but were still wary of each other. I can't say when we stopped being wary. I can't say at all, but since then…"

Raven could say. For her, it started the day he had come to her after her hideous mistake with Malchior. For him, she thought it had started on the day that he was covered in the chemical while fighting Adonis, when he became able to access his most primordial aspects. Something about this conversation worried her slightly. "Will you get to the point?" she didn't worry that her bluntness would bother him – they did indeed understand each other's ways now.

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Another deep breath. "There used to be a time," Beast Boy said, and his voice was lower now, almost conspiratorial, "when you hated to let me touch you – hugs, high fives, anything. It used to bug the hell out of you."

"Right," Raven said. The feeling in her belly turned into a hot stone and she could feel her insides twisting tight around it.

"But now, recently, if we hug … you feel different. Like I'm not bugging you, which is great, 'cause Raven … I – I've _always_ wanted to touch you. And now you touch me, too – and you never used to."

"I hit you, you mean," Raven said, eyes narrowing slightly.

"It's still touching, and it's always in fun, and you never used to do it."

Raven blinked at him and a silence drew between them. Raven found suddenly that her mind was sharp and screaming so loudly she didn't know what her own thoughts were. Her heart was racing, pounding an erratic rhythm against her ribs. Beast Boy didn't look much better composed himself. They stared at each other, straight into each others' eyes. There was emotion in Beast Boy's, an emotion Raven wasn't sure she wanted to see. She tried to keep her own eyes blank, to keep her emotions hidden, but Beast Boy was searching them – for what, she knew not.

"Do you have a point?" Raven asked eventually, her voice thin and tight, and the tension broke. Snapped, more like, like a wire coiled tight, springing back and lashing them both.

"I'm worried you'll hit me. My point is … something's changed between us," Beast Boy said, his voice even quieter, softer, he was almost whispering. His eyes were still raking hers. Raven felt, irrationally, panicked. She wished suddenly that she hadn't let him into her room.

And then Beast Boy grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her, and all thought and feeling disappeared, except for the feeling of his lips on hers, his fang nipping against her tongue, the warmth and the smell of him, comfortable and close.

Beast Boy wrapped his hands in her hair and moved her tight against him, sliding his lips against hers softly, wonderingly. Raven pressed hers back without thinking, her hands went about his waist and she relaxed against his thin chest. There was no thought, no panic now, just the touch of Beast Boy's mouth on hers, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth, his tongue sliding against her lip, reaching for her tongue and touching it. He tasted like peppermints. He was soft, so gentle, and somehow still firm, forceful. Raven was guided by his touch, her mouth moving against his, his fangs scraping against her, his lips… her senses were taken up with Beast Boy, his feel, his press, his scent, his _kiss_.

He didn't let her go for a long time, just kissed her and kissed her, sweetly, again and again, then as suddenly as he'd grasped her, Beast Boy drew away again. His hands slipped away from her head and moved to where hers lay at his waist. He drew her hands away, but kept one, held tight in his own hand.

Raven blinked and tried to collect herself. She wasn't sure what to do at all. Straightening up and out of the embrace, she bit her bottom lip between her teeth, as if she could pretend Beast Boy's mouth was still against hers.

"You haven't hit me yet," Beast Boy said, his voice a whisper. His eyes were searching hers again, even more desperately than before.

"No," Raven agreed.

"Do you understand what I was trying to say, now?"

"Yes."

Beast Boy blinked at her. Raven could sense fear from him, along with that other emotion, the one she hadn't wanted to acknowledge. "And?" he said.

Raven blinked back, her mind suddenly screaming again, so loud she could not hear her thoughts. _And_ – and what? What did he mean? She wasn't at all sure. She felt confused and shaken, emotions beating her heart into madness and anything at all clear or coherent from entering her mind.

"I think you wouldn't have kissed me like that if I wasn't right, Raven," Beast Boy said, so serious.

She felt lost. Raven wanted to reach out and wrap her arms around him again, have Beast Boy hold her safe, safe in that place where time and thought stopped and … and she didn't know what else. She certainly didn't know what he wanted her to say. "I don't know," she murmured.

The look in his eyes was enough to break her heart. He looked away and stood up abruptly. There was a long pause as Beast Boy huffed several deep breaths. "When you do," he said without looking at her, "will you tell me?"

Astonished and dazed, Raven nodded. Beast Boy nodded back, and then stretched a grin across his face. Raven gazed at his lips. "I tried," he said, but like his smile, his heart wasn't in it.

Then, without another word, Beast Boy turned and left the room.

Raven touched her fingers to her lips. The screaming voices kept on screaming. They hurt. "Be quiet," she demanded sharply of herself, and then levitated above the bed, sliding her legs into a full lotus and returning to her meditation. She had something else to think about now.

The meditation did indeed sooth her frazzled emotions, but left her mind no clearer. She was terribly confused. While she agreed that the relationship she and Beast Boy shared was different to what it one had been, definitely closer and becoming closer all the time, she wasn't sure what that actually meant. A kiss might mean many things, as Starfire would tell her. Beast Boy might only be playing a joke on her, as Robin, cynical bastard, might suggest. There was only one person who knew both her and Beast Boy well enough to give her appropriate advice.

Raven found Cyborg in the garage, polishing and waxing the T-Car.

"Hiya, Rave," he said smilingly. "Come to help me do the tyre rotation?"

"Sure," Raven replied, watching him carefully from under her cowl. Cyborg seemed his usual self – so then Beast Boy clearly had not spoken to him about … whatever it was that he had been trying to tell her. Raven reached for a wheel brace and crouched on the floor. She often helped Cyborg with the T-Car's maintenance, and it was a good opportunity for them to get quality time. Raven looked upon Cyborg as she supposed she might look upon a loving older brother, had she one to compare him to.

They worked in comfortable silence. "Something bothering you?" Cyborg asked suddenly, and Raven looked around, surprised, to see Cyborg was studying her just as closely as she had been earlier with him. She slowly lowered her cowl, but said nothing, unsure where to start, what to say. Cyborg frowned at her, gently removing the wheel brace from her pale hands and sitting beside her on the cool concrete floor. "Right. Tell me everything," he said in a no-nonsense voice.

Raven paused, thinking. "It's Beast Boy," she said eventually.

Cyborg sighed. "What's the little animal done this time? I've told him he shouldn't go sniffing your shoes, you know."

"He does _what_?" Raven snapped, momentarily distracted.

"Yeah, when he's playing sniffer-dog games. I tell him, Raven won't like it if you drool on her boots. The kid won't listen."

Raven frowned, mouth tight. That was disturbing news indeed. "That's not it," she said. "It's something … very serious."

"What?" Cyborg asked, sounding concerned.

"He … he came to my room today, while I was meditating." Raven really had no idea what time of the day it was now. Her meditations sometimes lasted hours and she lost track of time. She was certain the one after Beast Boy's visit had. "And … he told me he thought things were … different. Between him and me. And then … he kissed me."

Cyborg's eyebrow slid up. "Say what?"

"He kissed me. Uh … and not in a friendly fashion. In a…" she couldn't say _intimate_, "…a close fashion."

Cyborg let out a low whistle, long and toneless. "Well. About time."

"Pardon?" Raven asked with a growl, suddenly suspicious.

"Well, I dunno what dimension you've been in lately, girl, but BB's got it for you something terrible. I'm surprised it's taken him this long to do something about it – _and_ that he's been so forward. Who knew the little guy had that much guts?"

"That's all well and good," Raven said sharply, "but what do _I_ do about it?"

This seemed to surprise Cyborg most of all. "Well … what do you wanna do about it?"

"I don't know," Raven said, confusion washing over her again as she tried to consider her options.

"Well how do you feel?"

Raven paused, then said quietly, "I don't know. I spend most of my time trying to control my emotions. It makes it hard sometimes to recognise feelings when they stir in me. I can't decipher what I'm feeling right now."

"Did it make you angry?" Cyborg asked, tipping his head to one side.

"No."

"Were you grossed out?"

"No." Raven was surprised that Cyborg had asked _that_. The thought that she should or could be disgusted had not occurred to her.

"Was there any negative feelings that you did recognise?"

Raven paused, thinking carefully. "No," she admitted.

"Well that narrows it down." He smiled at her, and it was kind and supportive. _Azar bless Cyborg_, she thought,_ he may be a trickster and a joker, but when you need him to be serious, he damn well is_. "Let's try something different. When he kissed you, what did you do? Did you push him away, refuse to kiss him back…?"

Raven was hesitant. The alarm bells were clanging in her head again. She didn't want to say it aloud, but she did anyway, knowing that she could trust Cyborg. "No, I returned his kiss … and I drew him closer."

Cyborg reached out and placed his hand over hers, where it rested on her bent knee. "I think that's gotta tell you something. I know why you shy away from your emotions, Rave. But feelings are good. They're what makes us human. And yours are trying to talk to you."

Raven looked at him squarely. "I'm only half human," she reminded Cyborg.

"And that's the half that keeps the rest in check. Maybe try exploring this, Raven. See what it leads to. See if it's love. Don't deny yourself love if it's there, Raven. It won't hurt you, and you don't wanna miss out on it."

"How? How do I explore it? I've spent my whole life trying to keep my emotions hidden. I don't know how to bring them out. I … I'm afraid of them, of having them control me."

"Sometimes they will, Rave. But you've experienced that before, and you know when to take control back – I've seen you do it. Try it now, it's worth it. If you need help, ask Starfire. She's pretty good at expressing her emotions."

"I'll do that," Raven said, thoughtful.

"Do it now," Cyborg encouraged. "While it's in your mind, while you've got the courage for it. Dwell on it too long you might lose your nerve, and miss your shot. Off you go. I can handle this tyre rotation." He gave her a bracing smile, squeezed her hand and sent her off.

Raven couldn't find Starfire though, and when she reached out psychically found that she could not locate her in the Tower. Her friendship with Starfire was a strange and complex one. Originally believing that Starfire's exuberance was a threat to her quiet, she had avoided her. However, Starfire's good heart and surprising intelligence won her over, not least of all because Starfire was willing to meet her halfway. Raven had done the same and they had become fast friends.

She didn't really think she would ever have needed her like she did at that moment. But Cyborg was right, Starfire knew more about _feeling_ than anyone else Raven had ever met; it was the nature of Tamaraneans, apparently. But more than that, she had had to deal with feelings for Robin – surely no easy task, what with his stubborn nature and one-tracked mind. Surely Starfire would have the best advice.

While she waited for Starfire's return, Raven made herself some tea and settled into the couch with a book. She couldn't concentrate on it, though, and ended up sipping her tea, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around her legs, gazing mildly out the window, surprised to see the sun was already setting.

When the door to the common room opened, she didn't need to look around to know it wasn't Starfire. It was Beast Boy. Every person let off a different vibe and Raven knew her friends so well she could always pick them out. He came and sat on the couch, close but not too close, and smiled when she looked at him. It wasn't a forced smile, or a smile with any agenda. Just a plain, friendly smile.

Beast Boy picked up the remote and flicked the TV on. He flipped through a few channels before stopping on a British comedy programme. Raven finished her tea as Beast Boy laughed beside her. It didn't feel as awkward to be near him now as she might have expected, but still she felt unsettled.

"Want some popcorn?" Beast Boy asked suddenly, turning to her with a grin, laughter twinkling in his eyes.

"Sure," Raven replied, trying not to look startled. She watched him as he got up and crossed to the kitchen, tossing a packet of microwave popcorn in the machine and pressing buttons. He'd grown quickly in the last year and was finally taller than her, though was skinnier than ever because of it, all gaunt bones and lanky, muscled limbs. His hair needed cutting; it was curling about his pointed ears. She knew his look so well, she realised. Had she always been looking at him?

He looked at her now, and met her eyes. He smiled gently, but his own eyes were shadowed with concern, worry, potential guilt. "Are you okay Raven?"

She nodded. "Fine."

That drew a sarcastic smile onto his lips, though why Raven wasn't sure. She wasn't sure she wanted to know why. But the heavy stone settled again in her belly and she bit her lip, worried she'd upset him. They had once been experts at upsetting each other, and it wasn't a skill easily lost. Sometimes, Raven thought, they couldn't help themselves. Like that time Beast Boy had stuck his finger up her nose while she slept. Of course that would upset her, but he had to do it anyway.

She had retaliated, of course. But when she remembered it now, she knew for true that she hadn't been that upset by it. Beast Boy was her teammate and friend. She trusted him and cared about him and knew he did for her. Getting under each other's skin was natural, teasing was natural, but they neither ever stayed mad for long.

When the popcorn was ready Beast Boy returned to the couch and placed the bowl between them. Raven took some, turning to watch the TV as well. As Beast Boy laughed at the jokes and antics in the show and Raven found herself wishing that she could be so carefree as well. Even without her father's influence, since his defeat, she found that the demonic aspect of her still had to be controlled. That control wasn't easy to give up, even for her own benefit.

She could still enjoy the programme though, and did, and she and Beast Boy sat companionably, barely noticing when their fingers touched as they both reached for popcorn at the same time.

They were both so comfortable and absorbed that they almost leapt out of their respective skins when the door opened and the three other Titans entered.

"Oh, awesome!" Cyborg exclaimed and rushed across the room, hurling himself over the back of the couch and landing with a thump. His eyes were immediately glued to the screen – clearly, he liked the British programme. The bowl of popcorn was a casualty of his exuberance, flipping off the couch, kernels flying everywhere, when Cyborg landed and bumped Raven into it.

"We've been to the movies." Robin explained his and Starfire's long absence as they walked over too. "Brought back pizza."

"Yeah, pizza!" Beast Boy said, grabbing the boxes from Robin once he was within reach and spreading them across the table. "You got a vegetarian one, right?"

Starfire was at Raven's shoulder. "Cyborg tells me you have been seeking my assistance," she said quietly, and there was a question in her eyes.

"Uh, right," Raven replied, sparing one last glance for Beast Boy. He was absorbed in the pizza, but she thought she sensed an emotion from him. She gestured for Starfire to follow her out of the room, and Starfire took up one of the pizza boxes and followed her.

"May I ask the nature of your need?" Starfire asked eventually as Raven led her aimlessly down a corridor.

"It's … personal," Raven said, feeling embarrassed. Emotion wasn't her usual thing.

"Then may I suggest that we discuss it on the roof? I find being under the gaze of the universe and in the fresh air is always useful for settling an uneasy mind."

"Sounds good," Raven said without special enthusiasm, and the two girls walked up the stairs to the roof in renewed silence.

They sat side by side at the edge of the roof, Starfire hanging her legs over the edge. The pizza lay between them and Starfire took a piece, eating it happily as Raven watched her. It was so easy for Starfire to express her happiness and her love.

"Please, begin sharing," Starfire said pleasantly after a few moments. There was much Starfire already knew about her, had had to know over the years. This shouldn't be _so_ hard. And yet it was. Somehow, this felt more personal than many of the other things Raven had ever held secret. She began, haltingly.

"Today … earlier … Beast Boy … he came to my room, and … and he kissed me."

Starfire shrieked with delight. "But this is glorious news! I have long known of the feelings between the two of you and am gladdened that this day has arrived!"

"Wait," Raven said, alarmed. "I don't know how good this is. And what do you mean you already knew?"

"As a Tamaranean I am easily able to recognise the romantic feelings between other people. It is in our nature to notice these things, even though Tamaraneans often do not make attachments based on them. I have long known of the feelings Beast Boy has for you, and of yours for him."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked again, confused and frustrated. "I don't even know what I feel."

Starfire became more sober at once, putting aside her jubilance for Raven's sake. "I see. You suppress your emotions and so have not recognised the feelings. Now you are uncertain as to how you feel, correct? And you believe I can assist you with this?"

Raven bowed her head. "I thought if anyone could help me understand those sorts of feelings, it would be you."

"Very wise," Starfire said, pushing the pizza box towards Raven, encouragingly. Raven took a slice, though she had no real appetite. "Please tell me what transpired."

Raven did, including all the details of what she had recognised feeling and doing. Starfire nodded, looking serious and thoughtful, but her eyes were alight with happiness and hope.

"The feelings Beast Boy has for you I believe to be intense and long-lasting," the alien said at the end of the tale. "If companionship with him is something you desire, then I am certain he will be a loyal partner. So what remains is to understand your own feelings."

"H-how? How do I do that? I have always shied away from my emotions. I don't know how to get in touch with them now."

"Ask yourself the following questions," Starfire said kindly, "What does your mind tell you?"

Raven thought for a moment. "That this was unexpected. That it would be dangerous. That I can't be certain what Beast Boy feels… or what he wants."

Starfire nodded. "Now look into your heart, and be honest. What does it tell you?"

This was hard for Raven. "I'm not sure I can do that."

"If I were to tell you that I were to leave the Teen Titans, would you be able to recognise the feelings such news would arouse?"

Raven thought about it. "I believe so," she said slowly.

"This is because you are more focused on the negative than the positive, because you deal more often with them. You must try to recognise and to embrace your positive emotions. Focus on a cheering thought, and accept how this makes you feel."

"Like the time you taught me the joy of flight?"

"Exactly!" Starfire said, clapping her hands excitedly.

Raven thought. She tried to recognise something that made her happy … her books. Her books made her very happy, she thought. She considered her favourite book and tried to acknowledge why she liked it and how it made her feel. It was hard, and slow but Starfire was patient. Accepting the feeling scared her. She said as much.

Starfire nodded again. "Any strong emotion can be frightening, as we all react to emotions and the strong ones make us act most rashly. But you are expert at not being led by your emotion. You should have no fear of being controlled by something good.

"Now that you have accepted the positive," Starfire continued, "think about Beast Boy. Think on how he makes you feel, and why you reacted to his touch the way that you did."

Raven thought again. Images of him flashed through her mind, and she opened her heart and mind to the emotion that accompanied them. It was hard to do, and overwhelming, but she breathed deep and concentrated, her face screwed into a frown. She thought about every time she and Beast Boy had touched, of all the times he had hugged her, grasping her around the middle from behind and joking at her. It made her feel warm and safe.

She thought about the time she had hugged him and he had pushed her away, and felt the stirrings of anger and confusion, but they were soon overcome when she pictured his face again. She smiled despite herself. She thought of his kiss, and her heart skipped a beat. A deep yearning ache took hold of her, gripping her heart. She allowed herself, with difficulty, to succumb to the feelings. And it was not long until she realised what she had been trying, successfully, to deny.

"You have the love for him?" Starfire asked, clearly reading the signs of emotion on Raven's face.

Raven didn't answer immediately, but considered instead the time she had fallen in love with Malchior the Dragon, and how the feeling she had now compared. It was different, yes, but clear all the same. Raven nodded, slowly, in reply to Starfire's question. "Yes," she said simply, and an unbidden smile crept suddenly onto her face.

Starfire clapped her hands in delight. "Glorious!" she announced. "Shall you inform him of your desire to become companions?"

"No," Raven said, "not yet. I need time to wrap my head around this, and decide … just how to go about things. I also need to know that … that Terra is no longer in his heart."

"I understand," Starfire said, and they continued to sit and talk, discussing the situation and eating pizza, until Raven was exhausted from the emotions and her mind became smuffled with confusion. Then they went to bed, and Raven, who had expected to lie awake for hours in turmoil, closed her eyes and fell into a restful sleep, filled only with green eyes and soft lips.

The next day Raven meditated again and tried to get used to the idea of opening her heart and mind not only to emotion, but to another person. The problem was, now that she had considered the possibility of being in love, she couldn't _stop_ considering it. Beast Boy crept into her mind at any time she wasn't occupied, and small smiles tugged at her lips when she thought of him. She noticed both Cyborg and Starfire watching her carefully, oftentimes with smiles of triumph and decided to stay away from them. Their smugness irritated her.

At least, Raven thought, she wasn't the last person to realise her feelings for Beast Boy. Robin was blissfully oblivious. And Beast Boy himself, while not avoiding her, was certainly not looking for any clues from her. The fact that his behaviour was simply out of respect for her, waiting for her decision, only made her appreciate him more.

She spent the entire morning in meditation, and got nowhere clearer. The afternoon she spent in the Titan's gym, exercising. They all spent time in the gym most days, particularly if there was no combat practice scheduled. Raven completed the weight regime Cyborg had designed for her, the Tai Chi that Robin had taught her, and then hopped onto the cross-trainer. Generally she spent an hour or more on it every day. Today, she spent closer to two hours, significantly longer than usual, and was tired and sweaty when she finished. The exercise had distracted her well, though and she was glad of it, however she was also desperate for a shower.

Raven went to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She started the shower, running the water warm, not wanting it too hot while she felt heated from training. Faint steam wisped gently about her as she undressed, and suddenly she found herself before the mirror, inspecting her curves with a critical eye.

Raven had never really been one to worry about her appearance. Her physical shape didn't matter to her because she was fit and healthy and her body did what she needed it to. But now … if someone loved her it was conceivable they would find her attractive. At least, attractive enough to want to take to bed, at some stage.

Trying to be objective, she looked closely at her body. Curvy but slim … thin even, if the jut of her hips and the number of visible ribs was anything to go by. Small, small boned and fine featured. Narrow feet and bony hands. Little mouth and large eyes. Serious and unsmiling, and so, so pale.

It could be worse, she supposed. Certainly, she wasn't hideous.

She wasn't uncomfortable with herself either, like she knew some girls could be. Starfire wasn't either - indeed, Starfire was quite comfortable being naked when it suited her. Usually, as a mark of respect for human customs, she wore some clothing, but on occasion she would take to the roof to sunbathe naked.

Raven climbed into the shower, and let the warm water rinse the salts from her skin, washing her hair while she was there. She relished the caress of the steam and the rush of the shower, easing the ache that the gym had left in her muscles. As she ran the soap across her body Beast Boy sprang once again into her mind – the feel of his mouth on hers, the touch of his fang pressing into her tongue, his firm, thin body…

Raven dropped the soap.

"What is wrong with me?" she grizzled as she bent to retrieve it. "One kiss and I've turned into a melodramatic child." Irritated, she hurriedly finished washing and rushed out of the shower, wrapping her towel around her frame as she threw the bathroom door open.

Beast Boy was standing on the other side, hand poised as if to knock. His mouth fell open, just a little, and his eyes darkened as he looked at her.

Raven froze, the towel clenched tight in her hand, hair dripping onto her shoulders. Her brain went numb, and she stood blankly in the doorway, eyes wide as she and Beast Boy stared at each other. Why was this so awkward? It wasn't as if either of them had never been seen in a towel before - Beast Boy had seen her fresh from the shower several times, and she him, without thinking anything of it. Were things really so very changed between them? Was that the power of a kiss, of an emotion?

And Raven knew that it was. She felt it. Fully felt it, and knew without a doubt that she did indeed love him. Half of her wanted to grasp him with both hands, pull him against her and kiss him again, but she doubted that was a very good idea whilst wearing only a towel.

Beast Boy licked his lips. "Uh, Raven?"

She felt her powers stir before she was fully aware, but took control of them and enclosed herself in a dark sphere, transporting herself directly to her bedroom. As her powers subsided, she sat heavily on the side of her bed, towel dropping heedlessly to the floor. "Damn," she whispered to herself. "What do I do now?" Raven simply had no idea how to go about discussing a relationship, let alone initiating one.

Perhaps Beast Boy would ask her out, but she doubted it. He knew her too well to ask her when they had agreed the next move would be hers, that she would let him know what she wanted. She knew now what she wanted. She just wasn't sure how to ask about it. And she needed more time to adjust to the thought, anyway.

A few non-eventful days later, as romance went, the team was assembled to watch a movie. It had been a good day for them, taking out Cinderblock early that morning and Robin announcing he was proud of the team after their combat practice that afternoon. Cyborg had vanished afterwards to spend some time with his girlfriend, Sarah, Robin and Starfire were alone somewhere and so Raven had taken over the comfortable couch in the common room to do some reading. When Cyborg returned he came with popcorn, pizza and garlic bread, and a selection of rented movies.

Cyborg had called the others, and they had come, gladly, all of them settling onto the couch together as Cyborg selected the first movie. Except Beast Boy hadn't joined them. Robin seemed to notice their green friend's absence suddenly, belatedly, and commented on it, though Raven had, much to her own displeasure, noticed it immediately. It seemed to her that after the shower incident she and Beast Boy could hardly bear to be near one another. During battles and combat practices they got along as they always had, though Raven knew that they both paid more attention to the other, making certain they each were safe. Cyborg and Starfire, being informed as they were, had perhaps noticed the slight changes, the slight tensions, but Robin was as blissfully obtuse as ever.

"Hey," he said now, sounding surprised. "Where's Beast Boy?"

Cyborg shrugged his hulking shoulders. "His loss," was his reply.

"Perhaps he is needing the 'alone time'," Starfire suggested, patting Robin's knee.

Robin frowned, though. "Maybe. Doesn't sound like Beast Boy. Have any of you noticed that Beast Boy's been acting stranger than usual lately? Spending a lot of time on his own, and a lot of time sitting outside at night, morphed as a bird?"

Raven lifted her cowl so that no one would see the sudden flush that rose in her cheeks, but Cyborg was smirking and Starfire was beaming happily.

"Yeah," Cyborg said, cheekily. "You pickin' up anything from him, Rave?"

Raven glared at her metallic friend. "No," she growled through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps, my friend, you should try more firmly," Starfire said, joining in the teasing.

"Starfire…" Raven grumbled, tone warning.

But Robin was looking thoughtful. "That's not a bad idea, Raven. Of course, don't intrude on anything, but if you can sense something from him, maybe talk to him … it might help. We're a team; we need to be open with each other. I don't like seeing him so out of sorts."

Raven ground her teeth. "Robin, sometimes we all keep secrets. It means nothing."

"But it might not. Beast Boy hasn't been this withdrawn since Terra handed us over to Slade. Will you try?"

Raven sat silent, watching as Starfire and Cyborg studied her, both delighted with her discomfort. "I'll see what I can do," she grumbled reluctantly, but Robin seemed pleased enough with that.

"If anyone can do it, you can," he said encouragingly. "Beast Boy opens up to you far more than he does any of the rest of us, even Cyborg." Robin jerked a gloved thumb at the man.

"Well, I dunno 'bout that," Cyborg said, flicking the corner of Robin's mask and scowling, only half in fun. Robin grinned in return, and then hoisted his feet up onto the coffee table, wrapping one arm around Starfire as Cyborg started the movie.

Raven found it hard to concentrate after that, though and had trouble following the movie. She kept picturing Beast Boy, sitting in the cool night air, in bird form … but what bird? She didn't need to ask that question to know the answer. Her heart beat faster when she thought of him, and she kept her hood up until she was able to be calm again. As soon as the movie was finished Raven left the common room and went to her own bed room.

Standing at her window, Raven placed her hand against the cold glass, and reached out her soul self, feeling for Beast Boy's presence outside. She felt him, there he was in raven form, perched high in a tree, the tree nearest to her window. His eyes looked not for her, though, but to the skies. There was no moon that night and the stars were almost invisible in the glow from the city, but he was looking up. That much of him she could feel and she wasn't going to look further. Robin was right, if anyone could reach Beast Boy it was her, but she wouldn't breach his mind. He would tell her anything that he wanted her to know.

She turned away from the window and levitated, crossing her legs and assuming the full lotus, beginning a meditation. Robin's words haunted her … Terra. Could she ever replace Terra in Beast Boy's heart? Raven did not want to be a consolation prize. She loved Beast Boy too much, she now knew, to be so poorly used.

It was more than a week later before either Raven or Beast Boy acted again, and Robin hadn't been best happy with her lack of progress. The two of them were alone in the common room, quite by accident, for the first time since the shower incident. Cyborg and Robin were sparring together and Starfire was walking Silkie. Beast Boy was watching the TV when Raven entered the common room, heading for the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

"Hey, Ray," he said, turning to her with a smile.

"Hello," she replied, looking at him and feeling herself flush underneath her cowl. Damn, this emotion business was not only hard but embarrassing as well. Still, Starfire had been right, positive was indeed a marvellous feeling.

"Come and join me? I think a comedy movie about zombies is about to start. We might both enjoy that."

Raven didn't reply, but gladly went and sat beside Beast Boy, pleased he no longer seemed to be avoiding her. She placed her cup of tea on the table beside the packet of crisps and his soft drink. They didn't sit too close, but closely still. Raven crossed her legs and drew her cloak about her, feeling slightly self-conscious as she remembered the day of the shower. Beast Boy just smiled at her and didn't seem to notice her discomfort. Raven was struck by how mature he had become over the last year or two.

The movie was indeed a good one, something they could both enjoy. Though she showed it seldom, Raven had a keen sense of humour, inclined to sarcasm, and the blatant parody of the zombie movie appealed to her.

It contained a romance, as so many movies do, but for Raven, sitting beside Beast Boy, she felt it sharply, the slight angst, the poor communication that led to so much trouble. And she looked at Beast Boy and understood, somehow, that a lack of communication could only lead them to trouble as well. The she had to tell him how she felt, before, as Cyborg had said, she missed her chance.

He felt her gaze and turned to look at her. "What?" he asked, frowning lightly.

Raven didn't speak, but reached out a hand and grabbed his jaw, then leant forward and kissed him before she could rethink and lose her courage. Her bent knee slid into his lap as she moved closer to Beast Boy, her free hand snaking behind his neck. She felt the press of his fangs, the softness of his mouth as he yielded to her kiss, his arms wrapping around her and drawing her close to him. His hair tickled her fingers. His hands slid under her cloak. Raven turned her head ever-so slightly and deepened the kiss. Beast Boy returned her fervour…

The alarm sounded and they sprang apart as if they had just been electrocuted. "Azar!" Raven exclaimed, her heart racing, her eyes still on Beast Boy, on the shine of his damp, parted lips, his hazy eyes.

"Azar indeed," he agreed, rumpling a shaky hand through his hair and resting it on his neck where she had held him.

The door to the common room swished open. Robin and Cyborg stood there. "Trouble!" Robin snapped, not noticing how close Raven and Beast Boy were, not seeing her leg across his lap, though Cyborg did and winked at them, and Raven and Beast Boy shared one last look and moved to join their companions.

Starfire met them in the middle of Hoop Street, where a jewellery store was being robbed. The villain was Cinderblock, again, though who had hired him to break into the store was anyone's guess.

"Cinderblock! You always try your mettle against ours," Robin announced haughtily, "and you always fail!"

Cinderblock ignored him, a rasp deep in his stone throat the only reply Robin got. His giant fist smashed through the last window in the store and Cinderblock proceeded to steal the valuable items, passing them into a sack with clumsy fingers.

It was a heated battle, the Titans doing what they did best. Raven and Starfire attacked from the air, Cinderblock swatting at them angrily. His booty lay abandoned on the ground as he tried to smash his stony fists against the five crime fighters. Cyborg was attacking from below, Beast Boy helping him. Raven kept an eye on all her teammates as she fought, throwing up shields whenever Cinderblock's hands got a little too close.

Starfire was holding Robin's fists in her own, hoisting him high into the sky. "Rragh!" she cried and with a heave, tossed Robin towards Cinderblock. Their leader landed on the stone man's shoulders, an electro disk between his fingers. He wedged it under a rocky clavicle and leapt out of the way, Beast Boy soaring past in eagle form and catching him by the cape, lowering him safely to the ground.

The electro disk blew. With an enormous sound, the disk erupted and Cinderblock's shoulder cracked open, rubble skittering down his massive form, and around Cyborg at his feet.

The manoeuvre made Cinderblock angry, and he bellowed in what could only have been pain. He swung an arm down and caught Cyborg hard, throwing him backwards and off his feet. "All you did was piss him off, Robin!" Cyborg yelled.

"Titans! Take him down!" Robin replied. Raven saw Cyborg's eye roll. Robin wasn't likely to admit any mistake, which his move at first appeared. However, it soon became clear that, angry or not, Cinderblock had been weakened, and he wouldn't be able to keep up a furious fight for long.

He kept it up long enough, however. Starfire rained starbolts at him, which cause a momentary blindness with each hit. Cinderblock kicked and flailed, and Raven continued to provide shields for the other Titans, blasting Cinderblock with her energy power in between. Cinderblock kicked out at Beast Boy who was using a stegosaurus form to bash the criminal's legs. One kick landed badly, connecting with Beast Boy's neck. The green teen was thrown across the street, and lay there, morphed back to human, winded. Raven heard him groan and wheeze and without thinking, started hovering towards him. "Beast Boy!" she cried, fear gripping her when he didn't get up.

Suddenly, Cinderblock threw one arm up high as Raven levitated past him. Starfire streamed another volley of starbolts and the stone man was dazzled. The hand that had been reaching for Raven missed and instead came down, agonizingly hard, on the top of her head.

Pain split down the centre of her skull. Sounds were coming from far away, muffled by the rushing of blood in her ears, and she couldn't tell if her eyes were opened or closed, she only knew that she couldn't see.

Through the cloud of silence she heard the shouts and sounds of battle. She must have been falling, because the next thing she felt was the force of the road as she hit it, hard. Something in her side _cracked_. Pain seared through every inch of her, coursing from the crown of her head, downwards. And then there was nothingness.

When Raven finally felt consciousness return, she was all discomfort. She was lying down, that much she knew, and she stretched and turned, feeling pain all through her body, a throbbing in her ribs and head.

Something was lying beside her. Raven's eyes snapped open.

It was Beast Boy. His eyes slowly opened as she stared at him. He must have been lying behind her while she rested, as if shielding her, though from what Raven didn't know. She didn't know how much time had passed, whether the battle was over, whether they were safe. When their eyes met, she felt safe anyway.

"You're awake," he said quietly. "How do you feel?" one of his arms went around her body, almost as if he was trying to reassure himself that she was there. His hand was soft against her back, but firm. Raven could tell he felt conflicted about holding her. Things between them were clearly still awkward.

"Confused. Sore." Raven said. She thought, safe. She thought, maybe even happy.

"You took a hell of a whack when you hit the street," he said, one hand gawkily, for he was lying partly on it, making its way to her hair and combing through it. Raven felt it snag. "Your head was bleeding so bad. You looked dented."

That explained the aches. She must have split her skull open when Cinderblock hit her, and her ribs must have broken when she fell. _Everything_ felt bruised.

"You've been in a healing trance for over an hour," he continued, not looking at her face but at the place where his hand was in her blood-soaked hair.

"How did I get back here?" she asked, not certain where _here_ exactly was. Not the Tower common room, and not her own room either, she was sure. Beast Boy's room, perhaps? The infirmary?

"Cinderblock gave me a pretty bad whack, but I forced myself up rushed over to you, saw how badly you were hurt, that you'd lost consciousness. I told Robin you needed to be moved and when he saw I was hurt too he told me just to bring you home. Said they could handle Cinderblock."

"You _were_ hurt." Raven said remembering, her heart suddenly racing. "How badly? I can heal you…" and she made as though to sit up and inspect his injuries.

"Save it, I'm fine," he said firmly, pressing her back into the bed. "I will be, anyway. I hope. Raven, I know it's not the ideal time, but there's something I want to ask you."

"Yes?" she said, not fighting him. She did feel weak, and he seemed very serious again.

"Before the fight, in the common room … was that for real? I mean, I understand if you were just returning my kiss but…"

"I kissed you because I wanted to," Raven said quietly, meeting Beast Boy's eyes.

"Does … does that mean you know what you feel now? What … what you want?"

"Yes," Raven said quietly, and she felt the emotions overwhelm her, frightening her, and yet she embraced them and was able to experience and control them at once. "But there's one thing I have to know before I can tell you what I want."

"What is it?" Beast Boy seemed just as overwhelmed and edgy as she felt.

"I have to know … whether you're still in love with Terra." Because Terra was still alive, and if Raven was going to do this, she didn't want to lose him. Not to Terra. Not ever.

"No," Beast Boy said calmly, his fingers stroking her hair, "And not for a long time. I moved on because I had to, and now the feelings are gone. I was confused for a while, which is why I never spoke to you before, but I've had feelings for you since even before Terra. It wasn't love back then, but it was … a connection. And I'm glad of Terra, because I learned what love is, and what it can do, and how to move on, and it all means that I can give my heart completely to you now, if you'll have it."

Raven felt the truth of his words, and answered him with another kiss. He wrapped her safe in his arms, curled her body against his and kissed her back, not so gently as the times before, but more urgent, showing her just how long her had ached for her touch, just how much he truly wanted to be with her, just as he had said to her that first time. Raven pressed into the warmth of him, surrendered to the tight circle of his arms, and felt safe again, and felt, somehow, whole. _This_ was definitely what she wanted. She wanted to be happy, and she wanted Beast Boy. She stretched out sore arms and clung to him, holding him close, so very close that every part of their bodies seemed to be touching.

"Raven," Beast Boy whispered, breaking the kiss. "I love you."

They had been friends for such a long time, there was no need to wait to say the words. There was no way either of them was scared by the feelings, not now, not together.

Raven pressed her face against Beast Boy's chest, feeling how well their bodies fit together as his chin tucked carefully against her crown. "I love you, Gar."

* * *

A/N: Dun dun! I hope you enjoyed it and if you did please review, it would make me so happy after so long not writing TT to know there are fellow fans still out there! I'll try not to be long with chapter two, thanks guys! :)


	2. Part 2

A/N: Yay! Got this up not in great time but quicker than I expected. So here is chapter two and there will be one more chapter to follow, which I will try to get up in a similar time - no promises but.

Disclaimer: Ah, whatever I said in the first chapter ... Also - please, for the love of your spiritual deity, read the warning.

WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of a sexual nature and I do not recommend that it be read by anyone below the legal age on consent. I would also like to stress that I believe in safe-sex and this is fiction, not real life, so don't model yourselves on it and blame me. ;)

* * *

Raven was startled at the knock on her door. She sat abruptly upright on her bed, wincing as she cricked her neck. Her head swam black and a pain lanced through her side, only for a moment. Despite her healing abilities, her cracked ribs were still hurting nearly three weeks after. She didn't mind, though, for everything else in life was so very fine.

Raven still couldn't believe how fine, truly.

She went to the door, rubbing her neck, her mind far away, still lost in the daydreams that she had been absorbed in when the door knock had cut through her consciousness. Raven had never really been one for daydreams, but now she was constantly distracted and it was lovely. Lovelier still was the person who was keeping her mind so preoccupied.

Reaching the door, Raven slid it partly open. Robin stood on the other side, looking terribly serious. But then, he almost always looked terribly serious.

"Robin," Raven said flatly as a greeting.

"Raven," he replied, unusually hesitant, a concerned frown perched on his brow. "I wondered if I could speak to you."

"Sure," Raven said, voice detached as ever, though her mood was quite bright. She slid the door open wider but did not invite Robin in.

He wasn't meeting her eyes, she could tell even if his mask did hide them. Raven waited while Robin found the appropriate words.

"When I asked you to … to find out what was bothering Beast Boy," he finally began, no trace of uncertainty in his tone, his usual brimming confidence firmly back in place now that he had begun to speak. "I didn't mean for you to take his problems all on yourself."

"What?" Raven asked evenly, but for once she was actually baffled. She had no idea what Robin was alluding to.

"I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that you've become more withdrawn, and you've been wearing white again, which I know is a sign of emotional change – and I figured it was a result of my asking you to try and find out why Beast Boy was isolating himself. I know you two have been spending huge amounts of time together recently, but I want you to know, we're all here to help. We're a team, we can lean on each other. You don't need to shoulder all of his troubles yourself."

Raven felt a tiny smile curve her lips, a not uncommon expression for her of late. She even wanted to laugh at Robin's hopeless obliviousness - he plainly couldn't see what was staring him right in the face. Raven knew Beast Boy wouldn't mind her setting the record straight, they weren't keeping their relationship a secret. They weren't flaunting it either. Their feelings for each other were just for each other, and so far that was where they had stayed, though Cyborg and Starfire, with their inside knowledge, had realised very quickly when things had become official.

"Robin, you've got it completely wrong. Neither Beast Boy nor I have got any worries. What you haven't realised is that we're now a couple."

Raven watched impassively as Robin's jaw dropped so far it was like to hit the ground. One eyebrow slid calmly up her brow. "You seem surprised," she commented, trying – successfully – to keep a smirk from her lips.

"I, uh, I am," Robin admitted, folding his jaw shut again and rumpling an embarrassed hand through his carefully mussed hair. "I had no idea the two of you … I mean, I'd seen … well, and I'd, uh, _wondered_, but you know, not really my place … well, good. Good for both of you. So you're, uh, happy?"

"Very happy," Raven deadpanned.

Robin twitched awkwardly for another few moments, then collected himself. He beamed widely, and Raven could sense his gesture was genuine. "Well good. I'm pleased for you both. I guess that explains a lot."

"Yes," Raven said. "So you don't need to worry. Anything else?"

"No, no," Robin said, trying for an airy demeanour to cover his embarrassment. "I'm glad. I'll let you get back to your meditation."

"Thank you," Raven said, and waited out of respect until Robin had walked away before she shut her door. As she slid it closed, a sudden shriek of pain echoed from behind it, an echo that sounded awfully familiar…

Raven swished the door open wide again, and there stood Beast Boy, hopping on one leg and holding the other foot between both his hands. Raven realised she must have jarred it in the door, but if he was silly enough to wedge it in there, then really, he was asking for it.

"I thought he'd never leave," Beast Boy whined as a hello and hopped into her room.

"He was here for less than two minutes," Raven said, and now she _couldn't_ keep a smile from her face, as she closed her door again and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Two minutes too long," Beast Boy grouched back, finally dropping his foot and sitting beside her on the bed. His arms came around her body, and pulled her tight against his chest. "I missed you," he said gently into her hair.

Raven relaxed into his embrace. "And I you," she said. Beast Boy's hands were in her hair, stroking it, his face hidden against her neck.

"Gah, why did we wait so long for this?" Beast Boy mumbled. Raven could feel the damp warmth of his breath against her skin. She closed her eyes, focussing on the feelings his touch stirred inside her, the positive emotions that were still so new.

"I don't know," she said. "Beats solitary meditation."

"Beats video games," Beast Boy replied.

"Really?" Raven said, a wry note twisting her tone.

But Beast Boy's reply was serious. "Definitely." He pressed his lips into her neck, and again, his fangs nibbling her skin. It somehow tickled and hurt and was wonderful, all at once. Raven tipped her head slightly, encouraging him. Her hair flipped to the side as Beast Boy took his hands away from her head, one sliding down Raven's face and cupping her cheek, the other slipping down her body, resting at her waist as their bodies shifted closer. She sighed as he kissed her neck.

Raven had never really had any level of physical intimacy with another person. Even with her mother and the other children of Azarath there had been distance, a distance Raven had known all her life, a physical starvation. She had come to dislike being touched as she got older, it being so completely foreign to her. Whenever Starfire had tried to hug her in the past all she had felt was a deep unease, worsened whenever it was the fabled 'group hug'.

Being a part of a team who lived together and spent most of their time together had gradually worn away Raven's disdain for physical contact. She grew to trust her friends, they became her family, and so hugging them became less discomforting to her.

But that was nothing compared to _this_. The touches that slipped between her and Beast Boy were electric, like static fire. She felt no unease when he touched her, simply bliss, safe and protected. She felt loved. She'd had no idea what she was missing. When Raven had seen the fleeting contacts that Robin and Starfire shared before the team, she'd never have guessed that they could be feeling for each other what she felt when with Beast Boy, the emotions he stirred, and more when he touched her like he was touching her now. She made a tiny noise, deep in her throat.

Beast Boy echoed it. "Mm, yourself," he whispered against her skin. "D'you know, you look very sexy in white."

Raven felt heat flood her pallid cheeks. "Thank you," she muttered. "Do you know your ears are very sexy?"

"Oh yeah, ladies love the pointy ears," Beast Boy said, drawing away from her and wiggling his ears at her with a raised eyebrow. As suggestive looks went, it needed improvement.

Raven frowned at him, but it was in jest, and slapped his shoulder. "What do you mean, _ladies_?" she growled.

Beast Boy shrugged, grinning happily. "Well, I'm a bit of a ladies' man, you know, Ray. Case in point - don't you remember my Tokyo fan club?"

"All too well. One of them tried to murder us."

"Price of fame," Beast Boy said airily, then without warning grabbed Raven none-too-gently and kissed her roughly. His kiss was filled with fire, with passion, with an intensity Raven hadn't known could originate from a positive emotion. It literally took her breath away. And deep in her belly, it frightened her. Love was equally as dangerous as rage. "You know you're the only one for me," Beast Boy said, breaking away from her again and pressing their foreheads together. "I love you."

Raven looked at him, feeling a simple, happy smile on her flushed face. "I love you." She pulled him into a hug and breathed deeply the scent of him, something like tofu and sweat and boy, familiar and pleasant.

"So what did Robin want?" Beast Boy asked eventually, after a long silence, still holding her tight.

"He wanted to know why you and I are acting _strangely_. He became quite flustered when I told him. Robin may be so confident, but he's utterly male when it comes to anything relationship related."

Raven felt the curve of Beast Boy's smile against her cheek. "Hadn't he picked up on it?"

"Not at all, apparently, though you'd think when he saw you lying across my lap the other day in the common room, he might have wondered."

"Yeah, that was awesome," Beast Boy said, his fang brushing Raven's skin as he grinned. "And the best part was, I actually beat Cyborg that day."

Raven remembered. She and Beast Boy had been watching a matinee when Cyborg had entered the common room. Since the movie was not really that good (though in fairness, Raven had spent too much time of it with Beast Boy's tongue in her mouth to really judge it), Beast Boy had switched on the Gamestation and laid his head in Raven's lap while he battled Cyborg. Raven had levitated herself a book and the three of them had had quite an enjoyable afternoon. And Beast Boy had indeed beaten Cyborg, to his intense delight, though only in one round. Cyborg won eight.

Raven had wondered for a moment whether Cyborg would be put out by her and Beast Boy starting a relationship, even though he was the first person she'd gone to for advice. She needn't have worried; as far as Cyborg was concerned nothing was any different, and he didn't feel left out if Beast Boy and Raven were now spending more time together than with him.

"You know, for someone so smart, Robin can be pretty stupid," Beast Boy said, musingly, his hand tracing a circle against Raven's back.

"His mind just works differently, that's all. He's calmed down a little since he and Starfire started dating," Raven said fairly.

"D'you think they've slept together yet?" Beast Boy asked her.

"Yes," Raven said, "not that it's any of our business."

"Hmm," Beast Boy murmured back but said no more. Raven wondered at the question. It wasn't unlike Beast Boy to be impertinent, but she was still somewhat surprised at the seemingly random query. His hand against her back was beginning to tickle.

And then he was turning his head and kissing her again, not with the desperate energy of before, but with a gentle intensity that still left her breathless. His tongue reached out for hers and Raven surrendered herself to his kiss, soft, warm, deep and safe.

Until Beast Boy deliberately bit her, his fangs nipping painfully into her lip. She gave a muffled sob of outrage and pushed him back, frowning fiercely. Beast Boy gazed back at her with his perfected 'who me?' look of supreme innocence. Under Raven's glare, though, he couldn't maintain the expression and his face cracked instead into a grin, and, leaning in to kiss her again, he promised, "I'll make it up to you…"

"Tease," Raven growled back, reaching for his lips hungrily as he nodded and nearly stuck his tongue up her nose instead.

"Someone has to be," Beast Boy replied cheekily. "I can't see you doing it, so it has to be me."

A crafty smile curled Raven's lips as she placed a hand on Beast Boy's chest and kept him back. "You think I can't be a tease?"

He blinked at her, mischief still shining in his green eyes, and then he shrugged.

"Oh, you asked for it, mister." Raven smirked, "Prepare to be teased."

"What're you gonna do, Raven? Tickle me?" Beast Boy asked, surveying her with a smugly disbelieving expression.

"Oh," said Raven, deceptively sweet. "You'll see." For Raven enjoyed playing games she knew she would win.

She began the game that very night. It was another evening that Robin had decided would be good for team building. The Titans had gone several days without a case, and Robin had been drilling them all hard at combat practice; the one that afternoon had been no exception. Four hours of workouts, pep talks and manoeuvres later all the teens were hot, sweaty and tired. Gallantly, the boys offered Raven and Starfire first option at showers. Raven went second to Starfire, and took her time re-dressing afterwards – a clean uniform with track-pants over the top – lost in schemes and daydreams, finally joining the team in the common room about an hour later.

Cyborg was in the kitchen, using Starfire's food processor to mix a cake batter. "Pizza's on its way Rave, and I'm making cupcakes. You love cupcakes, dontcha?" Cyborg was grinning and wiggling his eyebrow at her. She sat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar without answering him and reached across, dipping one slender finger into the bowl.

Beast Boy crossed the room to join them, his hair still wet from showering, dripping a stream of fat water droplets onto his shoulders. Raven smiled at him in greeting, then popped her finger into her mouth and slowly ran her tongue around it, tasting the batter, closing her eyes for just a moment, savouring. She hiked one amused eyebrow at Cyborg and he smirked back, catching onto the joke quickly. "Very nice, Cyborg," she said, dragging the finger over her lip. "Chocolate is my favourite."

Innocently, Raven reached out her hand to Beast Boy, studying his face for an effect. He was staring at her hand, at the shining, damp fingertip, with a dazed look on his face. Then he took her hand, and looked back up at her, his expression mildly confused.

"So, what's Robin come up with for tonight?" Raven asked, leaning her head on Beast Boy's shoulder, squeezing his hand.

"Board games," Cyborg said.

"Hm. I could say something pessimistic about how childish that is, but it might actually be fun," Raven said, reaching for the cake batter again. Cyborg swatted her hand with a wooden spoon.

"No double-dipping!" he said, but with a surreptitious wink. Raven simpered a sly smile in return. Beast Boy was staring dumbly at her hand. Raven almost felt mean, almost, but he _had_ asked for it.

Robin had indeed gathered a selection of board games, including chess. They played that first, Raven the clear winner at the end of three rounds. Next it was chinese checkers and pizza. They all huddled over the game board and moved their pegs around, grease making the pieces slippery, yet they were all having too much fun to mind.

Raven sat back after her turn, watching her friends. She was good at these sorts of games, her mind logical and strategic; Robin was good at them too. Starfire always had trouble remembering the rules and Cyborg and Beast Boy were more interested in having fun than winning. The latter, her boyfriend (how strange it felt to say) was sitting to her right, and met her gaze happily. Raven offered him a tiny smile and picked up her bottle of lemonade. She took a careful sip, slowly, resting the mouth of the bottle on the edge of her tongue before closing her lips about it.

Beast Boy's eyes almost fell out of his head.

Raven put the bottle back down and smiled at him again. He blinked several times and frowned at her. No one else was watching. Beast Boy leaned closer. "What are you _doing_?" he whispered in her ear.

"I don't understand what you mean," Raven replied, kissing his ear before pulling away and schooling her expression into one of innocent confusion. Beast Boy didn't look convinced and Raven really couldn't blame him. He eyed her suspiciously.

"You're doing … things. _Things_. On purpose." He gave her a meaningful look.

Raven blinked back at him, expression nonplussed. "What?"

His eyes narrowed. His mouth twisted. "You know what I mean."

Raven gave him a small, sweet smile and opened her mouth to reply, but was abruptly interrupted.

"You two really are a couple! How come I never saw it before?" Robin suddenly exclaimed, loudly. Both Raven and Beast Boy snapped their heads around to gawp at their team leader. He was staring at them, his features betraying how wide his eyes were behind his mask.

"You have a one track mind," Raven replied levelly, though she was a trifle irritated at being interrupted. The other three Titans were all nodding in agreement. Robin scowled at them and they all hastily returned their attention to the game.

It was fairly late when they all went to bed that night. Raven shimmied out of her track-pants and clambered on to her bed, still wearing her uniform, a happy smile creeping across her face. She wriggled out of her cloak and levitated it onto a chair and lay quietly for a few moments, not really ready for sleep despite the lateness of the hour, just enjoying the feeling of being happy.

There was a tiny, timid tap on her door. Only one person would knock so carefully. Raven slid the door open telekinetically. "Come in," she called, propping herself up on one elbow and twisting to look at Beast Boy as he entered. The door slid quietly shut behind him. Raven gestured for him to sit beside her on the bed.

Beast Boy took one step towards her and paused, staring. For a moment, Raven was confused, but she watched him and realised.

Beast Boy's eyes were fixed on her legs, on their pale smoothness, the way they relaxed against each other, curved and comfortable. It was an opportunity too good to waste. Raven carefully slid her legs into the sort of position Starfire might have laid her own in, the kind of graceful, feminine position designed to show curve and muscle.

Beast Boy frowned and his eyes snapped up to Raven's face. He stepped over and sat beside her.

"Okay," he said, and Raven could hear the annoyance in his voice. "You proved your point. You can play the tease as well as I can."

Raven rolled over, arching her back, a smug sneer perched on her lips. "Maybe better," she said slyly.

"Stop it," Beast Boy said, all seriousness. "I know it's all in fun, but stop it. You've proved your point, but this is unfair."

Raven studied him. In a way, she supposed he was right. Only one night of teasing though, _that_ seemed unfair. She licked her lips.

"Raven, I said _stop_," Beast Boy's voice shook with intensity, some hidden emotion beneath his words. His fang looked sharper, but that wasn't possible.

"I wasn't…" Raven began but was cut off as Beast Boy leaned down and grabbed her. One arm slid around her waist, between her body and the bed and hauled her up, the other snatching behind her head and pulling her into a fierce kiss. He kissed her and kissed her, lips crushing against her own, tongue demanding entrance to her mouth, refusing to let her go until Raven thought she might lose consciousness and fought him back, just to draw breath.

He stared at her with dark eyes, lips parted. "I'm sorry," he said lowly, "but you haven't made it easy tonight, playing your games. At first I wasn't sure, but then I got the message. But I need you to stop, because even now you're doing it without trying to. And I know we've only been together a tiny while, but dammit, _I don't want to go_!"

Raven stared at him, her own mouth gaping in surprise. She knew exactly what his words meant. Somewhere inside her mind a voice chided, 'well, you asked for that'. Raven told the voice to shut up and then kissed Beast Boy once, carefully, softly, then wriggled in his arms so that she could sit beside him, close, more comfortable.

"Sorry," she said softly, not meeting his eyes. He wasn't holding her now, just staring at his hands, loosely folded in his lap. "It was only meant to be in fun."

Beast Boy forced a smile onto his face, still refusing to look up at her. "I know," he said, but his usual heart wasn't in it.

Raven searched for words, for thoughts, for understanding of what had suddenly become a potentially very precarious situation. "I understand how you feel," she said carefully, placing one hand gently on the small of Beast Boy's back. "I can't say I haven't felt the same myself," which was very true.

He looked at her then, lifting his eyes to her face, listening calmly, though his eyes still showed a certain torment.

"It's only natural," she continued, feeling vaguely embarrassed and discomfited. "I mean, we're both adults now, and even though it's been a short time since we've been together … those sorts of…" here Raven stopped, for she could not think of a way to continue that didn't sound hideously inappropriate. She felt a flush rise to her cheeks.

Beast Boy reached out one hand and rested it over where the heat stained her skin. "I didn't want to upset you by talking about it," he said softly, not quite looking at her still. "That's not why I want to be with you. But now that I am with you, I can't help wanting that." He looked at her fully then, an apology in his eyes and colour crept down his ears. "We don't need to rush," he continued. "But I had to let you know … I mean, I can take a joke as well as the next guy, but still…"

"I get it," Raven said, resting her cheek into his palm. It felt so nice to be held, and even better that it was Beast Boy. "I won't do it again, deliberately anyway."

He smiled. "You're the best," he said and pulled her into a hug. Raven slid her arms around him and pulled him close to her. She considered for a moment how it might feel to have him inside her, to give her entire self to him. It wasn't the first time she had wondered about it, not by far, but she had never yet been brave enough to broach the subject. Now it had been broached inadvertently by her actions.

For Raven, so used to being alone, resisting touch and feeling, the thought of intimacy – at least with Beast Boy – surprisingly did not stir any trepidation. She had always thought it would, but not once while with him had she felt fear or hesitation. When he kissed her, she could feel the way her body responded to him, when they touched she felt the emotions he wrenched from her. He knew her, and he loved her and Raven loved him in return. Intimacy only seemed natural.

There was no need to rush, as Beast Boy had said, which was why Raven had never said anything, apart from the fact that it was not a topic she could easily talk about. Every time the thought of intimacy entered her mind, Raven was instantly reminded of the moment, only one month ago or more, when Beast Boy had run into her as she came out of the shower, clad only in a towel. That encounter had been pure awkwardness. And that was an association Raven didn't want to form.

Beast Boy cleared his throat and pulled back again, still touching Raven, but looking at her now. "Now that we're talking about it," he said quietly, his serious expression firmly in place. "What do you think…?"

Raven breathed steadily, trying to keep from blushing. It didn't work. "I … I'm … nervous," she admitted. "I haven't … ever…"

Beast Boy stroked her face. "Me neither," he said softly.

Raven wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or bad. It meant neither of them had any idea, any experience. But somehow it also made it seem more … special.

"What about my powers?" Raven said, "What if I hurt you?" She didn't think it was likely, she seldom lost control of her powers now, and positive emotions had never been especially risky besides, though when she had still felt her father's influence working within her all emotions had had to be controlled at all costs.

"What if I hurt _you_?" Beast Boy countered. He shook his head firmly, after they stared at each other for a moment in panicked silence. "There are dozens of 'what ifs' we could worry about. But really it comes down to only one thing: whether or not we both want to."

Raven was the one looking away now. She wanted to, oh yes, she did, she knew it. But maybe…

"I do," she said, "but not … tonight."

Beast Boy grabbed her chin and lifted her face. Looking her straight in the eyes he said, "Of _course_ not tonight!" and he laughed and kissed her. "It shouldn't be planned," Beast Boy continued. "It should just happen. I didn't come here trying to get you into bed, though…" he looked at them both, entangled on the bed and grinned his most mischievous grin. "We're not far from."

Raven hoisted an eyebrow at him, and then stretched forwards to kiss him again. "I love you Gar," she mumbled into his mouth as he returned her touch.

"I love you more, Ray…" he garbled back, and his fang scratched her lip, and he drew her in close. "I should go back to my own room…" but he was still kissing her.

"Mm." Raven didn't let go of him. "Soon enough…" she muttered, and kissed him again.

And so passed several weeks. The Titans went on missions, and beat villains as usual, and in between Titan's Tower was filled up with entertainment, of a sort, as Cyborg took it upon himself to wage a Prank War on his coupled-up friends. After Cyborg resurrected his most famed prank in Titan's history – that of putting red dye in Beast Boy's shampoo – the rest of the team banded together to pay him back – and hopefully end the Prank War for good.

The Master Prank, as Robin dubbed it, involved the Gamestation, Control Freak's secured remote, some clever magic on Raven's part, a David Bowie song, and Cyborg's girlfriend Sarah Simms. It went spectacularly well, Cyborg distressed enough at having his own relationship targeted to agree to a prank peace, but delighted enough with the all-out cleverness of his teammates to declare that a celebration was in order.

It suited Raven well enough. Cyborg had the waffle iron out, Robin had procured some wine and Starfire had been kind enough to offer to buy some sweets, rather than attempt to make, and feed them all, a traditional Tamaranean anything. Beast Boy put some music on, Sarah Simms stayed and it quickly became a party.

There was dancing, and talking, eating and drinking, and Raven enjoyed herself, not least when Beast Boy had grabbed her by the cloak and dragged her body against his. She had blushed with pleasure as he stamped her around the room in a crazed waltz, singing obscene words in time with the music. She had even laughed, just a little. Positive emotions or no, it was hard to let go of her impassivity.

When Raven finally took herself up to bed, content that there would be no trap from Cyborg inside her room, and after kissing Beast Boy goodnight, she was tired and happy. She tossed herself down on her bed, after flinging off her cloak and uniform, and lay there in her smallclothes, humming idly to herself.

She sensed the knock before it came, and used her powers to slide the bedroom door open. "You don't need to knock, Gar," she called, and turned her head as Beast Boy entered the room.

He froze just inside her doorway, the door itself closing behind him. He was staring at her, and Raven watched as his eyes grew wider and wider. She snatched up her cloak and wrapped it around herself, everything disappearing beneath its diaphanous folds. Damn, it was like the shower all over again. She drew the cowl up so he wouldn't see the colour rising in her cheeks.

Beast Boy read her embarrassment anyway. "I'm sorry, Ray," he said, staring now at his boots, looking like a lost child. This was new to both of them.

"Don't be," Raven said, still hiding. "I didn't expect you to follow me, but even so I should have put pyjamas on… or whatever."

"You were alone, it's your room…" Beast Boy trailed off, now staring at her black ceiling.

'Does he think I'm hideous?' Raven thought in a stab of paranoia, for he might love her, that she doubted not, but he couldn't look at her now that he'd seen… Surely this sort of a thing shouldn't be so difficult? "Uh, um … did you want something?"

"Well, I just," Beast Boy was now gazing avidly at her bookshelf. "I just … didn't really want to say goodnight just yet, but uh, if you're going to … well, I should just … uh, leave…"

Raven reached her hand out, and lowered her cowl. "No, don't…"

Beast Boy finally looked at her, his eyes bright. Raven lowered her own eyes instead, finding direct contact just as difficult as he had. "Do I disgust you?" she asked in a low, tiny voice. "Is that why you want to leave?"

Beast Boy chuckled suddenly, and Raven looked back up. He was moving across the room, and knelt on the floor near her feet. "No way. You _arouse_ me, Raven. That's why I _have_ to leave."

Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps it was the euphoria of finally having beaten Cyborg, or maybe it was just because they had been together now for nigh on two months and the time was right, but the reply came before Raven even had time to contemplate what its implications were. "No, you don't."

They looked at each other, full in the face, so close, Beast Boy looking up at her. He placed his hands on her knees. "That's not why I came."

Raven dipped her head slightly. "It doesn't have to be why you stay, either," she said. "But I'd like you to stay anyway." She placed her own hands over his and he favoured her with his lopsided grin, fang sparkling in the dim light.

"Okay," he said. "Did you want to, uh, put more clothes on?"

Raven blinked. "I suppose so," she said, and shuffled around him to stand. Beast Boy rose behind her, as she crossed the room to her wardrobe. She never made it there.

The green boy grabbed her from behind and buried his nose in her hair, huffing against her ear, laying quick and sloppy kisses down her neck. Raven felt her head loll to the side and Beast Boy's kiss deepened, pressing into her skin with bruising intensity. Raven made some small sound, and he bit her, hard, too hard nearly, on her naked clavicle.

"Ah!" she gasped, and he spun her around, pressing quick, darting kisses on her mouth.

"Sorry," he mumbled against her lips, "sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you… stop me, Raven, stop me now…"

She did, pushing one hand into his chest. And as she did so, she realised she didn't want him to stop. "How much wine have you had?" she asked. If this were to be allowed, if it was going to happen, she wanted it to be for the right reasons.

"One glass, hours ago," he replied, staring at her with black, hungry eyes. She felt the truth of his words, and put her hands on him, drawing their bodies together again.

"Then _don't_ stop," she whispered, so quietly, yet it sounded like a holler in her silent room. And then Beast Boy took her, gently, in his arms and kissed her softly, slowly. One hand slowly coursed her body, tracing every curve, every muscle, the jut of every bone. He danced his fingers down her ribs, tickling her. He struck one sensitive spot near her hip, and she jumped uncontrollably.

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled again, kissing her, his tongue gently probing her mouth, encouraging her own kiss, kindling a slow fire, a deep desire. Their mouths slid together, and apart, together again, and they both drew ragged breaths, and together again.

Beast Boy's hand ran over the curve of her hip, down her thigh and back up again, slowly back, tracing over her waist, and up, and his palm brushed the curve of her breast. Raven sucked in a breath, sharply through her nose, and ran one hand into Beast Boy's hair, pulling him closer to her. Encouraged, his hand slowly crept across her flesh, feeling it carefully through the fabric of her bra, his fingertips brushing against her nipple. She gasped, her head tipping back in surprise, just far enough to break their kiss.

Beast Boy grabbed her tight, and steered her towards the bed. Raven's knees hit it, stumblingly, and she fell backwards, holding onto Beast Boy unyieldingly and dragging him with her. Her eyes were closed, but her mouth sought his, never finding it as Beast Boy kissed the curve of her jaw, her neck, the place he had bitten, already half healed. His hand on her breast pressed gently, eliciting tiny sounds from her, sounds she was hardly aware of making, sounds she never imagined she _could_ make. His fingers toyed clumsily with her nipple through the fabric of her bra, but it was a new sensation, and it was _Beast Boy_, and it was good.

"Raven," he mumbled, kissing his way back up again, "Raven are you sure?"

"Mhm," she said, lifting her head and looking him straight in the eyes, a smile on her flushed face. He smiled back, eyes bright, face equally flushed. He kissed her, more energy now and less technique, but still wonderful in its way. One hand snaked under her body and fiddled with the clasp of her bra. Raven arched her back and wriggled one hand of her own underneath herself, helping him, but the clasp was stubborn and their fingers foolish; it would not release.

Telekinetically, Raven snapped the clasp and drew the straps out from under herself as she brought her hand back also and relaxed again into the mattress. "You broke it," Beast Boy said, almost wonderingly.

"I can buy another," she said indifferently. Beast Boy stroked her hair and kissed her gently as he helped to remove the broken garment, sliding it down her arms carefully. His hands felt cool against her skin, and soft but rough, strangely.

Raven reached out and grabbed his belt, fumbling with the buckle until that too fell away, and then tugged his shirt until it came over his head. "I want to feel your skin on mine," she said, shyly, as an explanation. He smiled at her, and Raven felt such kindness and tenderness in the smile that she couldn't help but return it.

Beast Boy wrapped his arms around her and crushed their bodies together, the press of bare skin on skin wondrous and unnerving all at once. And then his hands were searching her body again, feeling her bare flesh with unpractised fingers, learning her slowly, and allowing her to learn herself. Slowly, so slowly that Raven found his restraint remarkable, for she _felt_ his desire, his need, to have her, but he resisted, and touched only her and asked for nothing.

"I could … I could do it, right now," he whispered, as if he were able to sense _her_ as well, "but I want you to enjoy it. I want us to enjoy it together."

"We will," Raven whispered, stroking a hand through his hair, and over his ear. Then his head pulled away from her hand, and he was leaving a trail of kisses down her chest, lower, and over the curve of her breast, and his tongue was moving and – oh! "Aghhh…" Raven moaned, her head falling into the bed, her hands seeking his skin again. Beast Boy's fang scraped against her skin, but he was careful, and he moved his tongue against her nipple until Raven was breathing in little gasps and found that she was rolling her hips against his body without even realising it. Before Beast Boy, if anyone had told her love and touch could make her feel the way she now did, she wouldn't have believed them. She was near overwhelmed by emotion, and by a keen longing, a need to be fulfilled.

Beast Boy's hand closed tight over her hip, stilling her. "Oh, _Raven_," he sighed, and his grip was so tight with his effort at self-restraint that Raven was sure it would leave bruises.

His hand moved after a fashion, slowly feeling the curves of her bottom, her thigh, her hip, and then _inwards_, slowly, hesitantly, reaching for that most private of areas. Through her panties, Beast Boy's fingers brushed her sex, and Raven moaned again and reached both hands down, seizing his head and yanking him up to kiss him, hard and hungrily, feeling his need and returning it with her own. She had to kiss him, to show her affection, to show that she was driven by her love for him, and not by her body.

Even so, she had never expected that touch could be so marvellous, so consuming, so wholly unashamed. Whether it would be the same with another, she couldn't know, though she was sure that it was love that made it so desirable.

He kissed her back with fervour, his fingers felt her carefully through the cloth still hiding her from him, and Raven kept on kissing him, holding him tight against her, desperate for the feel of him more than anything else, desperate just to be with him. "Gar," she whispered. He became wildly passionate, more than before. Raven knew how he loved it when she used his real name.

His fingers carefully slipped beneath the elastic of her pants, gentle but decisive. Raven was sure she was trembling, though she wasn't frightened, not at all. He touched her, and she jumped, and Beast Boy wrapped his free arm tight around her, keeping their mouths firmly together as he carefully learned the feel of her, and as he more carefully still began to move his fingers experimentally. Together, slowly, so slowly, they discovered what pleased her and Raven felt blood rushing into her nethers, and dug her fingers into Beast Boy's bare shoulder as her body moved against his hand, and he waited, unbelievably patient.

"Raven," he whispered suddenly, his hand stopping, drawing his lips away from hers. "Raven, I love you, I love you."

"I love you Gar," she said, looking at him, moving her hand up his neck and into his hair. She could feel her adoration for him beaming from her eyes. Beast Boy saw it; the feeling was reflected in his own.

"I – I want … want to … make … but, Raven, but I … don't think I can…"

"Shh," she whispered reassuringly, smiling, placing her hand against his cheek. He turned his head and kissed the heel of her palm. "I don't want you to."

His breathing was erratic, and Raven realised he was shaking like a leaf, though like herself she was certain it was not from fear. "Are you sure?" he said.

"Very," she replied, and lifted her hips determinedly so that he could slide her underwear off. He kissed her hip, once and tossed the item aside. Raven sat up, and reached out to help him finish undressing. As his clothes fell away and Beast Boy was exposed before her, she was surprised to see him looking nervous, almost embarrassed. She kissed him quickly, and reached out a hand to take his tool, to feel him and learn him as he had her. She was startled by the feel of him, more firm than she had expected, more inflexible yet more mobile. She blushed and kissed him again.

Beast Boy kissed her back, making small noises just as she had, as she adjusted her hold and began to stroke his manhood. Pushing her back onto the bed, he placed one hand under her head, the other over hers, and guided her, squeezing her grip tighter, moving a little further up, and a little faster. He sighed after a moment, and drew her hand away, reaching down to touch her again, feeling carefully for her opening.

"Raven?" he said, a million questions hidden in her name. She gazed at him and nodded slowly.

"Garfield," she answered softly, and he took himself in hand and shifted, carefully, running his hand from her body to his, sharing their fluids to make it easier, and then, cautiously, holding her head and looking directly into her eyes, he pushed into her.

Raven yelped in sudden pain, nails gripping Beast Boy's shoulder. "What is it?" he asked, panicked, drawing his body away from hers, alarmed.

"Nothing, nothing," Raven said hurriedly, reassuringly, her hand moving to his hip to steady him as he tried to pull away from her. "Just … I think it's normal, the pain… I just need a minute for it to pass. Go slowly?"

He exhaled forcefully, "I don't wanna-"

"You won't," Raven promised, and gave him a heartening smile. She pulled his chest against hers and found his mouth and kissed him, slowly and carefully and he matched his rhythm to her kiss… Their bodies needed some time to get used to each other, Raven somehow alarmed and awed at having Beast Boy within her, but the anxiety passed and her body relaxed, opening to him, encouraging him, and Beast Boy was careful and conscientious, being guided by her, and he never stopped kissing her, not for one moment. But there came a moment, very soon, when he moved quicker, quicker, only a half a dozen times, sighing into her mouth, and then he pulled back from her just as hurriedly and groaned, but he didn't move away, laying his head on her belly, arm still wrapped around her.

Raven reached one hand out and fiddled with his hair. Her skin felt cold where Beast Boy no longer touched her, and she was covered in a sheen of sweat. Her sheets would be a mess, a terrible sticky mess, but she knew a spell that might do.

"I'm sorry..." Beast Boy whispered, his mouth moving against her belly. "You didn't…?"

Raven didn't answer. It wasn't important, not to her, not now anyway. "Come back up here and kiss me," she said, both kind and forceful. Beast Boy tilted his head back against her and Raven laughed at the sight of him, just an eye and a nose and a tuft of spiky hair visible between her breasts.

Her laugh disarmed him, and he smiled and crawled up her skin and kissed her, kissed her well enough to keep the fire, the passion burning inside her, and to make her wish it wasn't over yet.

"Raven, when you kiss me like that…" Beast Boy said with a shaky laugh, pulling back and lying down beside her, facing her, entangling his body with hers so that as much skin as possible was still touching. Somehow, she liked that best of all, the feel of having every part of her touching every part of Beast Boy. He pressed tiny kisses against her neck. "I way love you, Raven," he said.

Raven smiled. "I way love you, too Gar. Now be quiet and rest," her grin turned evilly mischievous, "because I think I'm not done with you yet."

Beast Boy blinked mildly at her and returned her smile. "I'm glad. But first I have a question."

Raven simply looked at him, waiting.

"When did you get the tattoo?"

Raven felt she should have known that was coming. In truth, she was surprised her hadn't asked immediately he'd seen it, though impudent creature that Beast Boy was, he'd asked at completely the most inappropriate time. Beast Boy sure knew how to ruin moments, Raven thought, but she thought it with affection and not annoyance. She smiled slightly and ran her hand over his neck.

"About a month after we defeated my father," she answered.

Beast Boy placed his hand on her stomach and smiled at her. "After _you_ defeated him, you mean."

Raven regarded him levelly. "I couldn't have done it alone," she said. "But afterwards … I felt so different. I could tell that he was no longer forcing his will upon me and after so many years of fighting, I felt … lost.

"So, the tattoo. I spent several weeks trying to figure out who I was without my father's influence. I mean, it's still there of course, I still have demon blood and the fury to match it, but this was different. I looked for ways to express myself differently. That included buying some new clothes."

Beast Boy nodded. "I noticed when you started wearing jeans," he said. While the team didn't have time off often, all the Titans owned civilian clothes for the privilege, or for when it was important that they be incognito.

Raven nodded too. "But clothes are so external, so impermanent. It didn't give me what I was looking for. And it's hard to find something that really suits, when it's all mass-produced. I'm not really sure why the tattoo enticed me so much. I just passed the place one day when I was heading for the café, and it seemed to … to _call_ to me. So I went in and spoke to the guy there, and he was helpful. I made an appointment, came back here and created the design then went back to him to have it done."

"Can I see it again?" Beast Boy asked, and Raven carefully rolled over, turning her head to watch him as he ran gentle fingers over the pattern. "It's free…" he said softly, looking at her and smiling, that enigmatic smile she loved so much, the one he always grinned when he knew he'd gotten something right.

"Exactly," Raven agreed. The inked image was of a raven, her soul self, flying with broad wings across the breadth of her lower back.

Beast Boy stretched out beside her again, the feel of his body, bony, hard and warm, slipping against her own, his hand pressed into her back. He kissed her shoulder and grinned. "Salty," he said. "My salty woman."

Raven smiled, a small, dry smile. Then she twisted her body again so that she could put her arms around him and kiss him, and Beast Boy slipped his green hands around her body and held her close. It seemed to mean more, now, somehow … everything heightened, the emotion she felt for him so much more overwhelming, so totally consuming. But it was marvellous, and Raven pressed her body to his, relishing the feeling of bare flesh, never before realising that touch was so very glorious.

She pulled back to draw breath, resting against the mattress, hair mussed against the sheets. "My flying Raven," Beast Boy murmured to her, pressing their foreheads together. One hand beat a restless drumming against her bruised ribs, fingertips tickling her. "Was it … was it okay? I mean … I didn't intend … and you-"

"Gar, I wanted you to. It was perfect. How could it have been better?" she said, tangling one hand into his hair.

"Well, maybe if you'd…"

She moved her head to the side, and placed her cheek against his. "And leave nothing new for next time?" she teased gently. "We have forever to learn each other. I didn't expect to … to climax, not the first time. It doesn't mean I didn't still enjoy it."

He smiled at her and kissed her. "Next time, huh?" his hands began to move again. "When you lie there, so relaxed and so … _naked_, Raven…"

"When you talk like that…" Raven muttered dryly, but she was smiling still, her hands reaching for him as well. "Don't leave tonight, will you?" she asked, feeling vulnerable underneath all the goodness.

"Raven," Beast Boy said, in a tone of mild astonishment, his serious expression in place again, as though he couldn't believe she would ask him such a thing, "I am never leaving you. And definitely not tonight." And he kissed her again, and again, and slowly the passion rekindled, building until it was a blaze of desire, so neither of them could have prevented it if they wanted to, and when Beast Boy carefully slid inside her again, holding her body so close to his, Raven wondered for one crazed moment if they were truly only one person.

"I love you Raven," he whispered, nipping her ear and pressing her so tightly to him Raven no longer knew where her body ended and his started. He moved within her, with her, and gentle pleasure washed over her.

On a sigh of delight, she breathed, "I love you Gar."

* * *

A/N: That warning makes sense now right! Haha. Well, thank you to all my gorgeous reviewers from chapter one, you're mostly the reason I've got this updated as soon as I have. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and will look out for chapter three! Thank you. :)


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